Updates

No commission on the horizon

During the presidential campaign, Barack Obama promised to create a national commission to examine the possibility that government grant programs such as Social Security Disability Insurance, Supplementary Security Income, Medicare and Medicaid essentially discourage people from working. The belief is that they are sufficiently generous that people have a disincentive to work.

We last looked at this promise a little more than a year ago and, finding no progress, rated it Stalled. After electronic searches through Whitehouse.gov, Google and Nexis, we haven't found any tangible activity on this promise during the past year. The White House was unable to provide any evidence that progress on this promise is being made.

If and when the administration takes action on this promise, we'll be happy to change our rating. But after two years without any discernible action, we're calling it a Promise Broken.

Sources:

Internet searches that produced no results

No evidence yet of national commission on work disincentives of federal assistance

During the presidential campaign, Barack Obama promised to create a national commission to examine the possibility that government grant programs such as Social Security Disability Insurance, Supplementary Security Income, Medicare and Medicaid essentially discourage people from working. The belief is that they are sufficiently generous that people have a disincentive to work.

We've so far found no evidence of action. Neither the White House press office nor electronic searches through Whitehouse.gov, Google or Nexis turned up any tangible activity on this promise.

If and when the administration takes action on this promise, we'll be happy to change our rating. But for now we're calling it Stalled.